PROJECT SUMMARY The Alliance is an experienced multi-institutional cancer clinical trials group that has been reorganized in response to the IOM consensus report and NCI directives for cooperative group reorganization. Alliance provides a comprehensive and highly efficient clinical trials infrastructure, access to experienced collaborators across all disciplines of oncology clinical trials research, and a diverse portfolio of trials for patients with breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, respiratory, central nervous system, hematological malignancies, and selected rare tumors. Particular strengths of the Alliance include the long-standing tradition of collaborative research of the legacy members, including many who have participated in cooperative group research since its inception in 1955. The Mission of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is to reduce the impact of cancer by: ? Conducting high quality multidisciplinary cancer control, prevention, and treatment trials that engage a comprehensive research network; ? Furthering our understanding of the biological basis of the cancer process and its treatment; from discovery, to validation, to clinical practice; ? Providing a scientific and operational infrastructure for innovative clinical and translational research in the academic and community settings.